Oscar Nominations 2019

This morning the nominations for 91st Academy awards were announced. Let’s take a look at the list and form a battle plan to see as many of these films as is humanly possible!

Best picture

BlacKkKlansman
Black Panther
Bohemian Rhapsody
The Favourite
Green Book
Roma
A Star Is Born
Vice

We have an interesting stable this year for Best Picture. Of the 8 nominees, I have only seen 2, Black Panther and A Star is born. Black Panther was an awesome movie, but there is no way it is Best Picture. I am surprised that First Reformed and Beale Street did not make the list. The scuttlebutt on Bohemian Rhapsody is that it is a good movie, but not great. I am hearing similar things about Vice. This is a weird nominee list.

Directing

Spike Lee (BlacKkKlansman)
Paweł Pawlikowski (Cold War)
Yorgos Lanthimos (The Favourite)
Alfonso Cuarón (Roma)
Adam McKay (Vice)

All are great Directors, but where the hell is Bradley Cooper? He did a phenomenal job with A Star is Born. I’ve seen none of these films yet, so maybe there is something special happening here. It might be Cuarón or Lanthimos’ year.

Actress in a leading role

Yalitza Aparicio (Roma)
Glenn Close (The Wife)
Olivia Colman (The Favourite)
Lady Gaga (A Star Is Born)
Melissa McCarthy (Can You Ever Forgive Me?)

This looks like a solid list; no sign of Meryl Streep though. McCarthy might be a dark horse here, but a part of me really wants Gaga to get it.

Actor in a leading role

Christian Bale (Vice)
Bradley Cooper (A Star Is Born)
Willem Dafoe (At Eternity’s Gate)
Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody)
Viggo Mortensen (Green Book)

I really want Willem Dafoe to win, but this might be Cooper’s consolation prize.

Actress in a supporting role

Amy Adams (Vice)
Marina de Tavira (Roma)
Regina King (If Beale Street Could Talk)
Emma Stone (The Favourite)
Rachel Weisz (The Favourite)

I always root for Amy Adams, but The Favourite seems to have something going here. This could also be a consolation for Beale Street, but don’t discount Roma.

Actor in a supporting role

Mahershala Ali (Green Book)
Adam Driver (BlacKkKlansman)
Sam Elliott (A Star Is Born)
Richard E. Grant (Can You Ever Forgive Me?)
Sam Rockwell (Vice)

All excellent actors. As a rule, I always lean towards Sam Elliott, but Rockwell’s Bush looked amazing… I probably could have phrased that better.

Animated feature film

Incredibles 2
Isle Of Dogs
Mirai
Ralph Breaks The Internet
Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse

Oh man. Isle of Dogs was SO GOOD, but Spider-Verse might be the best comic book film ever made. Don’t make me choose!!

Cinematography

Cold War
The Favourite
Never Look Away
Roma
A Star Is Born

Until I see more of these, it is impossible to pick. A Star is Born was filmed beautifully though.

Costume design

The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs
Black Panther
The Favourite
Mary Poppins Returns
Mary Queen Of Scots

All solid choices. Probably Favourite or Queen of Scots, the Academy likes that sort of costuming. Black Panther did an excellent job of representing different African cultures, so that may be a lock for them.

Documentary (feature)

Free Solo
Hale County This Morning, This Evening
Minding The Gap
Of Fathers And Sons
RBG

Where the fuck is Mr Rogers?!! Bullshit.

Documentary (short subject)

Black Sheep
End Game
Lifeboat
A Night At The Garden
Period. End of Sentence.

Until I see them I have no clue.

Film editing

BlacKkKlansman
Bohemian Rhapsody
The Favourite
Green Book
Vice

Ditto, as above.

Foreign language film

Capernaum (Lebanon)
Cold War (Poland)
Never Look Away (Germany)
Roma (Mexico)
Shoplifters (Japan)

Roma’s got the heat, so we will see.

Makeup and hairstyling

Border
Mary Queen Of Scots
Vice

No idea.

Music (original score)

Black Panther
BlacKkKlansman
If Beale Street Could Talk
Isle of Dogs
Mary Poppins Returns

Gotta be Mary Poppins, right? Although, that Isle of Dogs score is in my head…

Music (original song)

“When A Cowboy Trades His Spurs For Wings” (The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs)
“All The Stars” (Black Panther)
“The Place Where Lost Things Go” (Mary Poppins Returns)
“I’ll Fight” (RBG)
“Shallow” (A Star Is Born)

Probably Shallow, I did dig the Buster Scruggs song though.

Production design

Black Panther
The Favourite
First Man
Mary Poppins Returns
Roma

Man. This is rough. First man might get it for nailing 1960’s NASA. Poppins was delightful too. Good set pieces for Black Panther too.

Short film (animated)

Animal Behaviour
Bao
Late Afternoon
One Small Step
Weekends

This is a category I’ve already covered (Review). Having seen them all, the winner is likely Bao, but I want it to be Weekends. One small step might get it too. Animal behavior has no chance. It should have been Lost & Found.

Short film (live action)

Detainment
Fauve
Marguerite
Mother
Skin

I need to see them before making a call.

Sound editing

First Man
Black Panther
Bohemian Rhapsody
A Quiet Place
Roma

I think First Man takes all the sound awards. The rattling of the spaceships was just as much an actor in the film as Gosling.

Sound mixing

Black Panther
Bohemian Rhapsody
First Man
Roma
A Star Is Born

See Above.

Visual effects

Avengers: Infinity War
Christopher Robin
First Man
Ready Player One
Solo: A Star Wars Story

How the hell is Aquaman not nominated here? I have no idea what they are looking for here. Maybe Ready Player One? If Christopher Robin is here, Paddington 2 should be here as well. Maybe they want to give Avengers an Oscar?

Writing (adapted screenplay)

The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs
BlacKkKlansman
Can You Ever Forgive Me?
If Beale Street Could Talk
A Star Is Born

I need to see more, but probably A Star is Born. That is the best adaptation of that story made to date.

Writing (original screenplay)

The Favourite
First Reformed
Green Book
Roma
Vice

I will decide once I see them all.

So, that is the list! As always, I will spend the next month trying to see as many of these films as I can. Shorts/Documentaries/Foreign Films are always a bit difficult to find, so I will focus on the nominees in the other categories.

The Best Picture nominees are played at my local AMC over 2 weekends, so I will be able to see all of those for sure:

BlacKkKlansman

Black Panther: Seen

Bohemian Rhapsody

The Favourite

Green Book

Roma

A Star Is Born: Seen

Vice

Here are the remainders:

A Quiet Place

At Eternity’s Gate